Having been away from my blog for such a very long time, which was never meant, looking after my 104 and a half year old Aunt has taken over our lives so I just haven’t been able to post here as I wanted to.

Today I had some wonderful news so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to post on my blog once again. I can’t stop smiling :-)

I am placing this under the Blogging Prompt of Sentimental Sunday because to me this is very sentimental.

I am sooooooooooooooooooooo delighted, excited, thrilled, happy and all sorts of things in that mood :-) :-) :-) Please bear with me while I explain and add lots of photos!! Many of you know I have been researching my family tree (for almost thirty years now) and have my Read family back to the 1500s. Many of my ancestors are buried in what I call the Read Plot at Nether Winchendon, Buckinghamshire and in the plot are three tabletop tombs. One contains my 6 x great grandfather Cozens Read and his wife Elizabeth, another contains his son William Read, William’s Wife Mary, their daughter Mary and Mary’s husband John Moores. The third tabletop tomb contains another of Cozens Read’s sons, Michael Read and his wife Martha.

A few years ago, in 2007, my other half Paul and I visited the Plot and cleared and tidied up and repaired these and other Read gravestones – pictures of this follow. Two or three years or so ago, William Read’s tomb collapsed and I was informed that the church was going to restore it. I tried to get grants for restoring it but that took such a long time, waiting waiting waiting for decisions and in the meantime the church and the villagers managed to organise a Lottery Heritage grant.

Last year I was told they were going ahead with the restoration and asked my thoughts about it. I was very pleased of course. Anyway, today, I found out that yesterday the restoration is complete! They have restored all three table top tombs and here is a link to the BBC news item about it – They even mention me!!!! :-)http://www.bbc.co.uk/n…/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-32829542

I am thrilled because they have found that Cozens Read has six children buried with him and his wife, these are those of their 20 children who did not survive to adulthood and I can find no burial record for them apart from that of their first child. I have searched for these children for years thinking they must be buried elsewhere as they are not in the Nether Winchendon parish register.

Now I know exactly where they are! These children were buried long before Cozens Read was buried in 1783 (the news item has the date wrong, they say 1720)!

I am so excited by all this as it means so very much to me :-)

Here are some of the photos we took in 2007, before and after pics on that day, which can now be compared with the pics in the BBC News item.

This is how the table top tombs looked when we arrived that day in 2007.

This is William Read’s table top tomb. This one was the worst one for needing to be repaired and cleared of the plantlife and even small tree that was growing from the inside! This is the tomb that eventually collapsed a few years later.

This is Michael Read’s tomb which contains him and his wife Martha.

Here lies Cozens Read with his wife Elizabeth and as I have just discovered, six of his children.

And here is how it all looked that day, after we had been clearing, cleaning and repairing the table top tombs and some of the graves.

I’m so so so so so happy and very very grateful to the villagers who took such an interest in long-deceased members of my family. So thrilled :-):-):-)

As some of you reading this will have already realised, I have been away from this blog for a very looooong time!! I did a little post at Christmas (2011) to explain the reason for not being able to keep up with the blog and it has taken this long to make a start on getting back here.

I decided that Sorting Saturday was a really good and very apt start!! The reason for that is because I wanted to get back to the Daily Blogging Themes to help get into the swing of things again. But, I realised that as it has been so long since I properly posted here, I had forgotten a lot of who I had written about and what I said.

So, some sorting was required. It also meant that I had to sort much of my genealogical files and folders on my computer, laptop and in my Dropbox because quite frankly, I had stuff all over the place and in order to find anything to blog about I would have to go through it all to find what I wanted.

Now I have the computer more or less sorted with all my genealogy items in one place (for the moment). Now I know where to look for everything although there still is some sorting to do to make it a better system. I’m hoping my One Note notebooks will be good for that!!

OK, so getting back to the blog. I’ve been checking what I have done here already, and re-reading most of my posts. I’m horrified to see that my “Coming Soon” section has had three topics sitting there for what must be more than a year!!! Oh my goodness!! So, I think a priority is to actually write the posts for those three topics very soon, and add different items to the “Coming Soon” section and actually do them soon after that.

I was going to add to my Family Tree Charts here but now have the wonderful TNG programme to add to this blog, once I finish adding all the details to it. I think it will be a much better part of the blog and am really looking forward to setting it up here, hopefully soon.

I see some of my other sections such as the Old Documents, Photos of Ancestors, Want Copies? and so on need to be updated too.

There are so many things here that need attending to and I suppose I should be thankful for the break away as it has meant that I have gone through everything with a fresh eye and have been able to spot the things that need attention, whereas before, they were added to the blog and then left.

So, I must do some sorting, sorting and even more sorting and really make a concerted effort to get back into the swing of things. I’m looking forward to it and also to “meeting up” again with my geneablogging friends and all the new cousins I found through this blog. :-)

For today’s Tombstone Tuesday I am showing the tombstone of Sarah Read who is the wife of Joseph Read whose tombstone was in last week’s Tombstone Tuesday.

Sarah was Sarah Smith from Ashendon, Buckinghamshire when she married Joseph Read (the grandson of my 6 x great grandfather Cozens Read), on 22nd October 1835 at Ashendon.

They had five children and Joseph died in 1844 after only nine years of marriage to Sarah.

Sarah’s husband was a farmer and she took over the running of it after he died. She kept the farm going right up until she died aged 76 years.

Original photograph taken by me at Lower Winchendon in 2000 - copyright 2011

The transcript of this inscription is as follows:

In

Memory of

Sarah widow of

Joseph Read

Who died Feb. 10th 1884

Aged 76 Years

“For so He giveth His beloved sleep”

Ps. 1. ..(?) 2

_____

Also of

Ann Read

daughter of the above

Who died May 15th 1871

Aged (the rest here covered by long grass and another tombstone)

Sarah and Joseph’s daughter Ann was 31 years old when she died and never married.

As Sarah’s maiden name is Smith and she was from Ashendon, Bucks it makes me wonder whether she was related to Martha Smith of Ashendon who married Sarah’s husband Joseph’s uncle Michael Read? I’ve not done much delving into the Smiths of Ashendon, so this will be another search to add to my “To Do” list!!

I think Sarah did wonderfully well to keep the farm going as a young widow and then as she became older. One of her sons lived with her and only married after she died, when he was in his forties.

As mentioned last week, the farm is now a successful stud farm owned by the famous jockey Pat Eddery. I have sent an enquiry to the farm to see if it is possible to obtain photos of it, especially if some of the original building still stands.

(Edit: My cousin Marion has kindly given me the information that I could not see on this tombstone and it is as follows:- The line of verse is actually from Ps. 127. 2. and the age for Sarah and Joseph’s daughter Anne is given as 31 years. I already had Anne’s age from other sources but could not compare it with her age given on the inscription. Thanks to cousin Marion for her help).

Today’s tombstone is that of Joseph Read of Lower Winchendon. He is a grandson of my 6 x great grandfather Cozens Read.

Joseph and his wife Sarah married in 1835 at Ashendon and had five children. Sadly, after only nine years of marriage, Joseph died.

Original photograph taken by me at Lower Winchendon in 2000 - copyright 2011

The Inscription is as follows:

In

Memory of

Joseph Read

who departed this life

July 3rd, 1844

aged 39 years

I left this fading world in blooming years.

And all my friends in mournful tears.

My earthly cottage moulders into dust.

Whilst my immortal soul is with the just.

Mourn not for me, prepare to die.

For you must sleep in dust as well as I.

Joseph was a farmer and I know from the Censuses that his wife Sarah continued running the farm until she died in 1884 aged about 76. So this family group lived there for about fifty years, depending on when Joseph first lived there. Just out of interest, this particular farm is now owned by the famous horse racing jockey Pat Eddery. It seems to be a thriving stud farm now.

Amanuensis Monday is a blog theme started by John Newmark on his blog Transylvanian Dutch, in which he is transcribing letters, newspaper articles, audio tapes, and a war diary etc., concerning his family.

John explains Amanuensis as “a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another”.

I have been waiting since February to receive from the Buckinghamshire Record Office twenty four Marriage Licences and finally received them a couple of days ago.

For today’s Amanuensis Monday I am showing part of the Marriage Bond and Allegation for Michael Read (1742 – 1822), one of the sons of my 6 x great grandfather Cozens Read, which was one of the twenty four Licences.

Copy of original document held at Buckinghamshire Record Office - copyright 2011

This is the Transcript for the above document:

28th Sept 1791

On which day appeared personally Michael Read of the Parish of Lower Winchendon in the Archdeaconry of Bucks, & alledged that he is a batchelor aged Twenty one years and upwards and that he intends to marry with Martha Smith of Ashendon in the County of Bucks Spinster aged Twenty one years & upwards & not knowing or believing any Impediment to hinder the said intended Marriage of the …(?) hereof he made Oath, & prayed Licence for them to be married in the parish Church of Ashendon aforesaid.

Sworn the said Michael Read to the truth of the promises before me

(The word Witness is crossed out here)

Michael Read

W. Stockins Snr.

I discovered a long time ago that Michael Read was 49 years old when he married his much younger bride, Martha Smith. She was 33 years old at their marriage so the wording “twenty one years and upwards” doesn’t give any clue that they are a fair bit older than that!!

But, I always had a nagging doubt that maybe this was not the first marriage for Michael, in view of his more mature years. Whenever I have been researching my ancestors, I have always kept an eye out for a likely earlier marriage for Michael, but never found one.

This document is wonderful for me as it shows that this marriage to Martha Smith was Michael’s only marriage as he is stated to be a bachelor so I no longer have to search for a marriage that might have been, but never was!!

Michael married Martha on 29th September 1791 at Ashendon, Buckinghamshire which was where Martha was from. They did not have any children.

What with one thing and another, I have missed adding Tombstone Tuesday posts here for the last couple of weeks.

Today I will be showing three tombstones concerning the family of Edward Read (1747 – 1808) who is one of the sons of my 6 x great grandfather Cozens Read. These three tombstones stand immediately next to each other in the Read plot at Lower Winchendon, Buckinghamshire, UK with barely any space between them.

When we took these photographs in 2000 it was very difficult, almost impossible even, to read the inscriptions on them.

Here is a photograph showing the three together.

Original photograph taken by me at Lower Winchendon in 2000 - copyright 2011

As you will see they are very weathered but it is possible to make out the name Edward Read on two of them and on the other one it is just possible to see that it says Edward & Mary Read, which means one must be for at least one of the twelve children that Edward and Mary had.

Original photograph taken by me at Lower Winchendon in 2000 - copyright 2011

The above tombstone has the name Edward Read on it. There is space above his name so I think this may be for his wife Mary Read (nee Rose) who died in 1801 and although the family lived at Doddershall, Quainton I know that Mary was buried at Lower Winchendon. This grave might also contain Edward Read as well. He died in 1808 at Doddershall but again, like his wife Mary, he too is buried at Lower Winchendon.

Original photograph taken by me at Lower Winchendon in 2000 - copyright 2011

However, this middle tombstone also just has the name of Edward Read on it, so I am wondering if one of these two is for Edward and the other for his wife Mary? Although not too clear, it is possible to see that the designs that were originally on the tombstones are very similar, a sort of matching pair for a husband and wife?

Original photograph taken by me at Lower Winchendon in 2000 - copyright 2011

As it is possible to read Edward and Mary Read on this tombstone I think it must contain one or more of their children.

Edward and Mary Read had twelve children and through a process of elimination I think this could be for their youngest child, Thomas, who died when he was fourteen years old at Doddershall, Quainton but who is buried at Lower Winchendon. Ten of Edward and Mary’s children married and lived in either Quainton or Haddenham or Upper Winchendon. I think the other child, William, who died aged about two years old in 1786 is probably included on one of the two tombstones that have just Edward Read’s name on that is possible to read.

I’m hoping that at some stage over the years, someone, somewhere maybe took a transcript of the inscriptions on these three tombstones and then one day I might just find out which is the correct grave for each of this little family group!

This is a photo that I came across last week and just thought it would be good for Wordless Wednesday! It is a bit faded but was taken circa 1960 and is of my maternal grandmother Lucy Sinclair (nee Dartnell), myself and my brother John at Whitstable, Kent where our grandmother always took us for a holiday. My brother Alan took the picture.

In my search for more of my Read ancestors, I note all those I come across, mainly in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire and sometimes further afield.

On re-checking some of my notes today, I came across all the Reads that were baptised, married or buried in Chicheley, Buckinghamshire, UK.

At this stage I don’t know if these are actually my ancestors, but it is very likely they are. I just thought this was rather sad.

We have John Read and his wife Anne. They have five children. Their daughter Elisabeth was baptised in 1582 and within her first year, sadly died. There is a little gap and then they have another daughter, again calling her Elisabeth baptised in 1589. She also did not make it to her first year of age! John and Anne’s next child was another daughter, so they named her Elisabeth, just like the earlier two daughters. This daughter was baptised in 1591. Her mother was buried in 1591 and she herself was buried in 1591. I think maybe John’s wife died as a result of giving birth to the last Elisabeth.

John must marry again as he has a son Thomas born in 1593. But he also has a wife, Cresset, buried in 1597. Still, he must marry for a third time as he has another daughter, named Elisabeth baptised in 1599. Sadly she is also buried in 1599. He has one more child, a son called John born in 1600.

His last wife, Elisabeth manages to live another thirty years after the last child is born, and is herself buried in 1630. Sadly John, the father, died in 1613 so his last child was only about 13 when he lost his father.

It just seems so sad to have had four daughters and lose them all within the first year of their lives, especially when they were all given the same name. John and Anne quite obviously wanted to name their daughters after someone in particular.

John and his first wife Anne also had another daughter before the first of the Elisabeths called Martha. She is buried in 1578 but I have not found a baptism for her, so think maybe they were living elsewhere when she was born.

Amanuensis Monday is a blog theme started by John Newmark on his blog Transylvanian Dutch, in which he is transcribing letters, newspaper articles, audio tapes, and a war diary etc., concerning his family.

John explains Amanuensis as “a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another”.

I’m not quite sure exactly how Susana Reade is related but my John Read born 1774 in Lower Winchendon, Buckinghamshire who is a grandson of my 6 x great grandfather Cozens Read married Elizabeth Read born 1789 in Quainton, Buckinghamshire in 1811 at Quainton who is the 3 x great granddaughter of Susana Reade whose Will I am posting about today.

Unfortunately for anyone researching this line, Susana is a widow at the time of writing her Will so all we know is that her husband was ? Reade!! I haven’t yet found a marriage for any Reade (and variant spellings) who married a Susana at a time with dates that would fit what few dates I have for their children.

It wasn’t until I was typing the transcript for this Will today, that I realised that Susana was seemingly known more as Anne as that name is written on the Will as her name, but then it is crossed through and replaced with Susana which presumably is her proper name so needed to be used for the Will.

Susana Reade’s Will:

Copy of original Will in my private collection - copyright 2011

Although I typed the transcript today, I was amazed at the number of words that I just couldn’t decipher. Hopefully some eagle-eyed readers might be able to read it better than I can and fill in some of the (?) gaps in my transcript?

Transcript of Susana Reade’s Will:

In the name of God Amen This 12th Day of march in the year of our Lord God one thousand six hundred sixty and one I Susanes (Anne has been crossed out) Reade of Steeple Claydon in the County of Bucks widdow being at this time weake of body but of good and …(?) memory (blessed be God) Doo make and ordain this to be my last will and testament in manner and forme following ffirst I acknowledge my Sinns unto Almighty God my maker and trust through the …(?) and …(?) of Jesus Christ my Saviour to be saved(?) (and I commend my Soule in …(?) ffaith into his blessed hands that gave itt

Item I give unto my Sonne John Snow …(?) …(?) like wise I give unto Anne Hoalton my daughter …(?) …(?) Item I give unto my Sone Richard Reade my house and …(?) land at Rous…(?) which hee is ent …(?) in …(?) in that and to have it when hee turns(?) to one and twenty Item I give unto my Sonne Will: Reade a hoase and lande which was lately hoase of Henry Smith and hee shall have it when hee turns(?) too one and twenty Item I give unto my daughter Alice Reade widdowe pounds(?) of the monny(?) wich John Reade ooth and if it cane be …(?) and …(?) and …(?) and a …(?) and a …(?) yoke and …(?) and a …(?) …(?) and my best …(?) and …(?) …(?) and one …(?)

Item I give unto my daughter Betty Snow five pound and the tenn pounds wich Smith ooth me and a …(?) and a …(?)

Item I make my Sonn Tho. Evens my full Executor of this my last will and testament (two or three words scribbled out) and to see my debts …(?) and all the rest of my goods I give to him in witness I have hereunto …(?) my hands and seale the day and yeare above written

John Triplett(?) Ann Harker(?) Susane Reade X her mark

I am now going to have to check Reade marriages to an Anne at the right time period in the hope that this turns up the name of the Reade that married Susana, as she may well have married as Anne.

I haven’t had much luck finding the marriages of her daughters in Buckinghamshire so will widen the search to Oxfordshire next.

If you hear a big big cheer then you will know I’ve found Susana’s husband Reade!! :-)

I have two photos taken in 1945 that have been passed to me by my Mum, of my Dad and his shipmates from when he was in the Merchant Navy during WWII.

My dear Dad is the second from the right as you look at this photo, but is not in the second photo. I would love to find out what happened to his shipmates and just wonder how I would begin to search for them? The third pic is of the reverse of the second photograph where four of Dad’s friends have signed it.

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My Project 365 Blog

YOUR ANCESTORS

If you could see your ancestors
All standing in a row
Would you be proud of them
Or don't you really know?
Some strange discoveries are made
In climbing family trees
And some of them, you know
Do not particularly please!

If you could see your ancestors
All standing in a row
There might be some of them, perhaps
You wouldn't care to know
But here's another question, which
Requires a different view ...
If you could meet your ancestors
Would they be proud of you?(Author unknown)